DATE: August 24, 2021
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: James A. Kus, County Clerk/Registrar of Voters
SUBJECT: Retroactive Suspension of Competition Agreement with Election
Systems and Software, LLC
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Make a finding that it is in the best interest of the County to suspend the competitive bidding process consistent with Administrative Policy No. 34 for unusual or extraordinary circumstances as Elections Systems and Software, LLC is the only vendor that provides ongoing license, support, and maintenance for their proprietary hardware and software; and
2. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute a retroactive Agreement with Election Systems and Software, LLC for signature capture and comparison equipment maintenance and support, effective July 1, 2021, not to exceed five consecutive years, which includes a three-year base contract and two optional one-year extensions, total not to exceed $405,570.
REPORT
Approval of the recommended action will allow the County Clerk/Registrar of Voters' Department (Department) to contract with Election Systems and Software, LLC (ES&S) for maintenance and support of signature capture and comparison equipment. There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
California Elections Code 3019 et seq. requires the Department to compare the signature on the vote-by-mail return envelope to the signature on the voter's registration record. Approximately 300,000 signatures per fiscal year on average are checked through an automated process with signature capture and comparison equipment. Should your Board not approve the recommended Agreement, the signature comparison function would revert to a manual process.
SUSPENSION OF COMPETITION/SOLE SOURCE CONTRACT:
The Department's request to suspend the competitive bidding process is consistent with Administrative Policy No. 34 for unusual or extraordinary circumstances...
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